Sunday Spotlight: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

This week's "Sunday Spotlight" shines on a freshman congresswoman with a unique resume. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) is an Iraq war veteran, the first Hindu member of Congress, and the youngest woman serving in Congress, at age 32.

"Someone asked me recently when I went back to Hawaii - they said, 'So, you know, how's it going in Congress? Are you fitting in there?'" Gabbard said. "And I told them not fitting in is actually a good thing."

Gabbard served two tours of duty in the Middle East and said her military service gives her a unique perspective in Washington.

"During my deployment, there were missions that I volunteered for and was not allowed to go on, simply because I'm a woman," Gabbard said. "They said, 'Sorry, no. No girls allowed.'"

Gabbard argued that there should be equality on the front lines.

"As long as we've had a United States military in place, women have been raising their hands to serve our country," Gabbard said.

"If you can pull your weight and if you can do the job, you should be able to do it," she continued. "What we see in the policy change, now that we're seeing starting to be executed, is just a reflection of what women have already been doing in the military."

While critics argue that men and women don't have the same abilities to handle the challenges of war, Gabbard said she and her fellow servicewomen recognize the harsh realities of combat.

"Some of the so-called uncivilized parts of what occurs when you are in combat, when you're at war, that's the reality that we train for," Gabbard said. "This is not something new and it's not something that any woman who raises her hand to serve in uniform finds as a surprise. We know what we sign up for."